Will she or won't she? That is the question.

Angela Marino suffered an ankle injury at a training in the week leading up to Sturt's final minor round game 4 weeks ago, and was not given a clearance to play in last week's 24 point loss to West Adelaide, as is still under a cumulus injury cloud this week.

How important is Marino to the reigning premiers? How much does she provide? How many questions can one use in a game review before readers become nauseous?

With Marino, Sturt's record is 14 and 0. Without her, the Sabres are 0 and 3. Clear enough?

That's not to say that Sturt don't have the talent to win without her. A lineup boasting three Bowleys and Caroline Nixon is more than capable of matching the best in the league. It just didn't happen last week against West. The Bearcats have been the sleepers of 2007, and it took them until now to unleash. Perhaps they kept something up their sleeve until finals, or maybe it really did take them 17 games to gel. Either way, West have waltzed into the Grand Final, while the Sabres must foxtrot with Norwood for the same privilege.

Norwood will suit a different lineup too. Jess Foley, along with West's Lauren King, left on Wednesday for the World University Games. The Flames were heading in the right direction before Foley joined the team, but it will take a great effort from fellow guards Nicole Romeo, Lisa Scaglia and Carly Stark to fill the void left by their top scorer.

Like West, Norwood could also be accused of stalking. Despite a surge starting from round 5 which has lasted most of the season, the Flames were 0 and 2 against the Rockets going into last week's elimination semi-final, and despite their superior record, could not possibly have been considered favourites. The free-flowing style which has worked so well for them became almost run-and-gun in the first half, and despite an early lead, the feel was that North's slower "pass-first" offence would get it the win. It was not to be - Norwood continued to shoot well and did a good job of containing in-form Jo Hill.

Moving forward 7 days, if Marino plays, you'll see one of the more entertaining back court battles at Pasadena between Marino and Nicole Romeo. 17 year old Romeo has set the league alight this year, after shorter debut season in 2006, interrupted by commitments with the SA Metro Under 18 state team. She has excelled in the freedom of Damian Weeks' offence and also is a terrior in the Flames full court defence.

Defending Marino is problematic. She has the ability to shoot long range bombs without appearing to come out of stance and does an excellent job of drawing fouls off the dribble. For this reason, Norwood may use the taller Lisa Scaglia for that matchup. Scaglia, playing her first full season since recovering from knee surgery, is also capable of applying good pressure in the backcourt, but Marino's experience and endurance will probably occupy any number of Flames for the evening.

In the front court, it's difficult to see how Sturt wouldn't have the edge. Emily Fryters has a great work ethic on the boards, but in any sort of half court battle with Hannah and Monique Bowley, the Sabres should come out on top. They both have a great ability to make a great post target on transition, and Nixon, Brigid Bowley and Sara Chapple have a knack for finding them. Norwood's ability to defend the post will be highly scrutinised. If it starts a four guard lineup including Romeo, Scaglia and Stark there could be serious mismatches. Bringing Lisa Ackroyd back in to replace Foley might alleviate this somewhat, but this might take away from the scoring punch that worked so well for it last week. Then again, a perimeter oriented lineup has its upside too - dragging a Bowley out to the three point line in defense and opening up gaps for penetration.

Sturt and Norwood's women field mainly local talent, and as a result, attendances have been up at both Pasadena and Mars this year. Mars was at capacity last week well before the start of the men's game, and while the double-header helped, so did the chance for Norwood juniors to see recognisable Norwood seniors in action. Sturt are rightly proud of their "homegrown" status and this coupled with the reopening of Pasadena has resulted in a closer link between junior and senior programs. While the likely attendance at Hillcrest has been well document, it's just as likely that Pasadena will host its largest crowd for the year, especially given that it's the only offering South of the city, and is Sturt's last game of the year.

Check out the warm-ups before you make a prediction.